Lewis And Clark Journey of Discovery Header And Links View A Layout Of The Entire Journey Of Discovery Web Site Go To The General Information Page For Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Go To Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Home Page Games, Quizzes, Wallpaper And Calendar, And Teachers' Programs St. Louis And The Nation In 1804 Timelines And Key Events For The 1800s Challenges, Changes, Unique Encounters, Special Events, And Lesson Learned The Leaders, The People, And The Preparation Of The Corps Of Discovery Return To The Lewis And Clark Home Page Special Events And Symposia Commemorating The Journey Of Discovery

Sylvestre Labbadie
House
Block 9A
Block 9C
Block 9D
Block 9E

Home > Circa 1804 > St. Louis: City Along The River > Block 9B
 

[Block 9B]

On the center west side of this block stood this large stone house built in 1770 by Jean Marie Pepin, ("dit") Lachance, the village stone mason. After 1778 it was the home of Sylvestre Labbadie and his family. The Labbadies were allied by marriage to the Chouteau family, for in 1776 Sylvestre, Sr. was married to Marie Pelagie Chouteau, a daughter of Madame Chouteau . All three daughters of Madame Chouteau lived in three large mansions, one here and the other two across the street in Block 32. The north leg of the Gateway Arch stands on about this spot today. Sylvestre Labbadie Sr. was born in Tarbes, in southern France near the Pyrenees, about 1740. He settled in St. Louis in 1769, and died in 1794. Labbadie ran a lumber mill, the first in the area, several blocks north of this site. He accumulated a huge fortune of some 480,667 livres, (cut down to 260,000 livres after his debts were paid) and silver plate worth nearly 4,000 livres, all of which was inherited by his son and namesake. This was the largest fortune on record from the era of Colonial St. Louis. Sylvestre Labbadie, Jr. was educated in France and returned to marry Victoire Gratiot, daughter of Charles Gratiot.